Rail joint



. Sept. 29, 1925.

w. A. EVERS RAIL JOINT Filed June 15, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet l w. A.- EvERs Sept. 29, 1925.

RAIL JOINT Filed June 16, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 29, 1925.

W. A. EVERS RAIL JOINT Filed June 16, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

' UNITED STATES WILLIAM A. EVERS, 0F MALRTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA.

RAIL JOINT.

Application filed mm 1c, 1925. Serial No. 37,545.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lmown that I, WILLIAM A. EvERs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Martinsburg, in the county of Berkeley and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail Joints, of which the following isa specification, reference being had to the accom-- panying drawings.

This invention relates to a rail joint and has for an important object thereof the provision of a rail construction such that the joint is actually embodied in the rail. The strength and solidity of the joint are as great as the strength and solidity of the rail at any point in its structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure of this character wherein at the meeting ends of the rail, a solid seat is provided for overlapped portions formed upon the rail ends, the rail ends each having a tongue overlapping the coacting rail ends and secured thereto so as to maintain the overlapped butt ends of the rail in properly assembled relation.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of this character which may be relatively cheaply produced, very durable and efiicient in service and a general improvement in the art.

These and other objects I attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of il1ustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein z Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rail joint constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective of one section of the joint removed;

Figure 3 is a perspective of the other section of the joint removed;

Figure 4 is a perspective of a slightly modified rail joint;

Figure 5 is a perspective of one section of the joint shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a perspective of the other section of the joint shown in Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a perspective of the third and slightly modified form of the rail joint; and

Figures 8 and '9 are sections on the line 8-8 and 9-9 of Figure 7 Referring now more particularly to the drawings, each end of the rail has the web 10 thereof thickened between the head 11 16 having the head and a portion of the enlarged web 13 and at its opposite end with a projection 17 having the flange and a portion of the enlarged web 13.

Each end of the rail is provided upon its projecting portion 16 or 17 with a longitudinally extended key 16 17 respectively, these keys being located at one side face thereof with one side face of the thickened web portion 13 and are of less width than such thickened Web portion, being preferably approximately one-third of the thickness of the web. The keys 16 17 are arranged at opposite sides of the rail and the thickened web portion 13 inwardly of the ends of the notches producing the shoulders 1 1 and 15 are provided with recesses 17", 16 receiving the corresponding tongues 17 or 16 of an adjacent rail section. Each tongue 16, 17 has bolt openings 18 formed therein while the webs 13 have coacting openings 19 formed therein at the bases of the recesses 16 and 17 The keys 16"-, 17 are preferably made so that they have a fairly loose fit in the recesses 16 and 17 so that when pressure is applied to one end of the rail section, it is transmitted to the other rail section not through the keys but through the engagement of the shoulders 14 and 15. Since at this point of engagement, the width of the thickened web is approximately three times that of the ordinary web 10, it willvbe obvious that considerably greater support for the rail head 11 is provided at the joint than at any point in the rail. The thickness of the web sections at the recesses 16" and 17 is approximately twice that of the ordinary web and accordingly the rail is not weakened by the formation of these recesses. If desired,these recesses may be so formed that they open through both ends of the thickened portion 13 of the Web, this construction permitting more ready finishing of this portion of the rail as illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6.

While I have above referred to the tongues 16 17 as loosely fitting it will, of course, be understood that this last fitting refers only to the general engagement of the tongue in its recess. It will be obvious that the seat of the faces 14, 15 will hold the rails against relative movement during the passage of a train in the general direction of the arrow of Figure 1. WVhile a train passing in a direction opposite to this arrow would have a tendency to separate these faces and this tendency must, of course, be overcome by the tongues. Accordingly, the upper face 16 of the tongue 16 and the lower face 17 of the tongue 17 have close engagement with the under surface of the head of the rail and theupper surface of the flange 12 under all circumstances. So far as these faces 16 and 17 are concerned, the engagement will always be such, as is shown in Figures 8 and 9. In the form of the invention shown in Figure 7, the keys or tongues 16", 17 have a relatively tight fit in their recesses and not only assist in preventing relative movement of the rails during the passage of the train in the last named direction but likewise assist in preventing such movement during the passage of the train in the direction of the arrow of Figure 1. It will be obvious that by employing the thickened web construction, the rail web is not weakened at any point in its length, and as a matter of fact, is of greater strength than the ordinary web employed at the end of the rail. A rigid support for the rail head is provided, preventing play at the joint which rapidly results in destruction of the same. In applying the rails to the rightof-way, the rails are applied so that the direction of normal travel is in the direction of the arrow of Figure 1 and the ordinary stress is taken up by the faces 15, 14 which, of course, offer greater resistance thereto. While I have, in each instance, illustrated the rail sections as secured together by means of ordinary bolts it will, of course, be obvious that countersunk head bolts may be employed wherever it is found necessary or desirable. I

Since the structures hereinbefore set forth are obviously capable of a certain range of change and modification without departing from the spirit of my invention, I do not limit myself to such specific structures @1- cept as hereinafter claimed.

I claim 1. In a rail joint, a pair of abutting rail sections each having the web at the end of the rail thickened, one of said rail sections having a portion of the flange and the thickened portion of the web cut away to provide a downwardly facing shoulder, the

other of the rails having a portion of the head and the thickened portion cut away to provide an upwardly facing shoulder or seat for receiving the first named rail, said rails being each provided with a tongue overlapping a portion of the other of the rails and bolted thereto, each of said rails having in the side face of the thickened web por tion thereof a recess loosely receiving the tongue of the other of the rails.

2. In a rail joint, a pair of abutting rail sections each having the web at the end of the rail thickened, one of said rail sections having a portion of the flange and the thickened portion of the web 'cut away to provide a downwardly facing shoulder, the other of the rails having a portion of the head and the thickened portion cut away to provide an upwardly facing shoulder or seat for receiving the first named rail, said rails being each provided with a tongue overlapping a portion of the other of the rails and bolted thereto, said tongues each having close engagement with an opposed face of the other of the rails at that side thereof, to prevent the movement of the sec tions of the joint, tending to separate said shoulders.

3. In a rail joint, a pair of abutting rail sections each having the web at the end of the rail thickened, one of said rail sections having a portion of the flange and the thickened portion of the web cut away 'to provide a downwardly facing shoulder, the. other of the rails having a portion of the head and the thickened portion cut away to provide an upwardly facing shoulder or seat for receiving the first named rail, said rails being each provided with a tongue overlapping a portion of the other of the rails and bolted thereto, each of said rails having in the side face of the thickened web portion thereof a recess loosely receiving the tongue of the other of the rails, said tongues each having close engagement with an opposed face of the other of the rails at thatside thereof to prevent the movement of the sections of the joint, tending to separate said shoulders. I F

4:. In a rail joint, a pair of abutting rail sections each having the web at the end of the rail thickened, one of said rail sections having a portion of the flange and the thickened portion of the web cut away to provide a downwardly facing shoulder, the other of the rails having a portion of the head and the thickened portion cut away to provide an upwardly facing shoulder or seat for receiving the first named rail, said rails being each provided with a tongue overlapping a portion of the other of the rails and bolted thereto, each of said rails having in the side face of the thickened web portion thereof a recess loosely receiving the tongue of the other of the rails, the inner face of the recess lying in the plane of the corresponding side of the rail web.

5. In a rail joint, a pair of abutting rail sections each having the web at the end of the rail thickened, one of said rail sections having a portion of the flange and the thickened portion of the web cut away to provide a downwardly facing shoulder, the other of the rails having a portion of the head and the thickened portion cut away to provide an upwardly facing shoulder or seat for receiving the first named rail, said rails being each provided with a tongue overlapping a portion of the other of the rails and bolted thereto, each of said rails having in the side face of the thickened web portion thereof a recess loosely receiving the tongue of the other of the rails, the inner face of the recess lying in the plane of the corresponding side of the rail web, said tongues each having close engagement with an opposed face of the other of the rails at that side thereof to prevent the movement of the sec tions of the joint, tending to separate said shoulders.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

WVILLIAM A. EVERS. 

